Apparatus for separating minerals from their ores.



APPARATUSv FOR SEPARATING MINERALS FROM THEIRORES.

APPLIUATIOH FILED DEC. 26, 1908.

973,467. Patented 001;.25, 1910.

' WITNESSES: Q VENTOR WW 6M4 A: dam;

' uurrnn STATES PATENT onnion.

SAMUEL K. IBEI-IREND, or DENVER, COLORADO.

APPARATUS ron snrnnmrmo MINERALS FROM THEIR onus.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL K. BEHREND,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Denver, in the county of .Denver and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for. Sepof the flaky particles which hitherto have been difficult, if not absolutely impossible to i save in the well-known methods of classification, separation, and co'ncentrationi With the foregoing object in view, this in vention comprises a tank with means for supplying a steady and u iform flow of water approximately at the surface whereby as little agitation and disturbance of the water surfacetakes place as possible, and

means for supplying or sifting, as it were, the mineral from a point above gently down upon the surface of the water in more. or

less finely divided particles, inconnection with means for raking throughthe flaky particles floating on the surface of the water previous to their. passage from the tank, whereby the coarser particles are liberated and allowed to drop to the bottom of the tank, to be subsequently treated to preserve the. values, and means for taking care of and preserving-practically the entire mass of floating mineral, whereby an approximately perfect separation takes place.

In the accompanying drawings-Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view, and Fig. 2 isa section on the line 2'2, of Fig. 1.

In the illustrated form of my present invention, a tank 1, of inverted cone-shape, is shown, in' which the separation of the ore takes place. This tank 1 is provided at the upper end with an annular trough 3 into which the water contained in the tank overflows more or less uniformly at every point, carrying with it the floating values. spiderA is mounted above the tank carrying at the center a bearing 5 in which the lower end of the shaft6 is journaled. Surrounding this-bearing 5 is an annular screen 7 of suitable material through which the ore is sifted and fed upon the surface of the water Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented ea. 25, 1910..

Application filed December 26, 1908. Serial No. 4652382.

-immediat'ely below. By distributing said dry, finely pulverized ore over and upon an outward current, a large percentage of this gradeof mineral will float, the. 'angues of the slimes and the coarser granulated fractraverse the screen 7 to cause the ore to drop through this machine u on the surface of the water. The shaft 6 1s revolved through and 13. i

Water is supplied through a pipe 14 connozzle 16, having circumferential series of preferably located as near as possible to the water level. This nozzle might be adjusted more or less up and down by means of screwthreads to regulate its exact elevation with respect to the up er edge of the-tank.

Anannular rake 18 .18 held just above the surface of-the water, and preferably just within the outer edge of the tank, and moves with the shaft. The teeth of this rake extend down below the water surface wherebyany lumpy particles carried by the flaky mass which floats upon the surface are liberated, which particles'when freed drop to the bottom of the tank and flow o the outlet pipe 19. 4 v

The floating flaky film remaining on the surface flows over the edge of thetank into the trough 3 and out throu h the pipe 20 ,into a filter tank 21 below, 'w are it 1s separated from the water. The discharge of the water through the orifices 17 17 in the nozzle 16, gives a uniform outward impulse-to the surface of the water without, creating a perceptible agitation or rippling of the-surface, which would be more or less disastrous, to the success of this present plan of separation.

sorted to inthe orm and arrangement of its edges upon the screen. Thebrush orv any suitable gearing, such as shown at 12 -More or'less slifght changes might be irearea of moving water having an induced tions sinking to the bottom of the tank or trolled by the valve 15, and itissues through relatively small orifices 17, 17, which are through the several parts described without departing from the spirit and S e of this invention, and hence I do'not wish to lin'nt my self to the'exact construction herein s'et forth, but

Havin fully described my invention, what I c aim as new and'd'esire to secure'by Letters Patent, is

'- 1'. The combination with a separating tank adapted to contain liquid, and a pipe which disc and at the surface of theliquid therein, of abarrier located between the water inlet and overflow said barrier. having members in the path of material floating thereon, and a screen located above the tank between said means and the water outlet, for sifting the material to be treated upon the surface of the liquid in the tank. v

2. The combination with a tankhav'mg an annular overflow trough, a water supply pipe leading to a point at or near the center of the tank and having a nozzle with an annular series of orifices located approximately in the horizontal plane of the upper ed e of the tank whereby the water issues t ere I nular series of orifices located approximately in the horizontal plane of the upper ed e of thetank whereby the water issues there rom radially approximately coincident with the water level in-the tank, of means located'between the water outlet and the overflow, and

-in' the path of the outwardly floating flakes for separating the material carried on the surface-of the water, and means located at the bottom of the tank for, the discharge of separated material therefrom.

4. The combinat on with a tank having an annular overflow trough, a water supply pipe leading to apoint at or near the center of the tank and having a nozzle with an annular series of orifices located approximatelyin the horizontal plane of the upper ed e of the tank whereby the water issues there om arges radially at the center of the tank radiall a proximatel water eve in the ta of a barrier having members located between the water outlet wardly floating flakes carrie on the surface of the'water, and means for material to be separated upon the water at a point between the water'supply and the overflow: f I k we 5. The combination with a tank, of a -cated above the tank, a-rotary shaft carrying a hopper at a point above the screen, a

are discharged upont-he sth'eem and-brushes which traverse the screen for-sprinkling the .upon the surface of the water in the tank.

spider havin an annular screen thereon lou on which the'contents of the hopper are discharged upon the screen, brushes which traverse the screen for sprinkling the material to be separated from the screen upon water approximately at the superficial center of the water in the tank;

tank adapted to be filled with water and to overflow at its outer edges, and a water supply pipe which discharges a proximately at the center of the surface of t e water in the tank toward .the outer edges of the tank, of an annular screen overlying the water surthe surface of the water in the tank.

. 8. A separating tank having'centrally lomately in the horizontal plane of its overflow, means for sprinkling the material to be separatedupo'n-the surface of the water, and an tank.

in presence of two witnesses.

SAMUEL K. BEHREND. f Witnesses 1 H. KIDNEY,

'CLu'rsaIN.

coincident with the and the overflow, and in the ath of the outsplrin' klm' g the e surface of table-upon which the contentshf the hopper 6, f The combinationwith a tank, of a .7. The combination with a cone-shaped In testimony whereof I afiix my signature 165 spider having an annular screen thereon lomaterial to be separated from the} screen cated above t e tank, a rotary shaft carrying a hopper at a point above the screen, a table the surface of the water in the tank, a pipe 7 atthe top of the tank' which discharges face between the water inlet and discharge for sifting the material to be treated upon cated means for supplying water approxi- -annular device having means for separating the materiall floating on the water in the. 

